Economic bond among primates

In the family life-style of some primate is the creation of an ‘economic’ bond whereby males obtain food for females and their young.

As the attention of the mother is devoted to her young, she has less time to devote to obtaining food. Female primates, like all female mammals, nourish and carry developing young for many months before birth and also provide milk for the infant for months or years after birth.

Females need resources for themselves and their offspring, and makes can help acquire two of the main resources, food and safety.

For most primates, male contributions to female food supplies involve defending an area where food can be found. The females could spend less time searching for food and more time directly caring for and protecting her young.

The provisioning, bipedal male was able to obtain food farther away from the area occupied by the female and infant; thus, he increased their food supply without depleting local food resources.

But when male has exclusive sexual rights to a female (or group of females), this bond benefits both the female and the offspring because male provides food when necessary.
Economic bond among primates